Fragile
by LeetheFlea
Summary: Jim and Ariel live together at the new and improved Benbow Inn. However, when foolish mistakes and accidental affairs come to light, Ariel leaves and the couple is forced apart. Jim then resorts to the one man he hoped never to encounter in his life. Will he find Ariel? What kind of colossal trouble has she gotten herself into? Rated M for sexual content and strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello all! So this is my very first fan fic, hooray! Do try to be kind *hides*. This actually has a few characters from other movies as well so stay tuned to see who pops up throughout it. THIS IS RATED M FOR A REASON. A bit of future lemon and some language things. Please read & review! I'd really love to hear your comments and thoughts :D  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All rights reserved. **

**Enjoy!  
**

_Prologue_

The night fell silent. All the nocturnal creatures that slithered out from the shadows and dark crevasses wandered the cool night floors in hushed tones. The wind slowed to a halt. Images of faces flashed and static replaced the confusing mixture of voices and noise. A pair of bewildered eyes watched as pictures washed over each other, dancing in blurred and distorted plays. The eyes of the watcher struggled to focus, and the pictures began to spin rapidly to the point where it became a mess of color and wind. Suspended in thick, gripping air and bound stiffly in the embraces of chains, the girl blinked and tried to look away from the bemusement. Something took a strong and startling hold of the viewer's face, forcing her blue eyes to a painful open. A soft voice whispered her name in the misty distance. Just then the colors disintegrated and the silhouette of a woman stretched across the blank space.

"…W-wh…?"

"_Don't forget me, Ariel..._" The hollow voice echoed in the air around the girl.

The silhouette extended out her hand and in the center of her palm, a glowing vortex of golden water expanded and swirled. Suddenly, it fell lifelessly and dripped down the sides of her open hand. A small box in the shape of a sea shell opened slowly and revealed two golden figures, facing one another and hand in hand, while a familiar lullaby twinkled. The girl's expression flickered in recognition. She reached out to touch it, but the image was abruptly ripped and torn in the blaze of a chartreuse inferno. Disturbing laughter crackled from all directions and the girl was dragged down into a burning pit of emerald and amethyst smoke that spat and quarreled. Two large ghostly hands with demonic claws took hostage of her form. A painful sound slapped against her ears in a taunting fashion, soon followed by a powerful beam of light that illuminated so immensely it burned up everything in sight.

And then, there was nothing.

The red headed girl shot up in a panicked daze, clenching the bed sheets to her naked flesh. She sat in a frenzy of terror. The darkness that met her view for a moment made her believe she was still ensnared in the nightmare. She rubbed her forehead and looked around the room, allowing the familiarity to ease her into reality. A sigh of relief left her bright lips and she shook the last bit of fear away as her eyes found the male figure lying next to her. His arm slugged above his messy brown head, the other resting on his bare chest. Ariel bit her lip and snuggled up closely to his being, pressing herself against his warmth. He stirred slightly, cracking his eye open and granting his arm to curl around the girl's shoulders. Jim smiled to himself as he began to drift back to sleep. Ariel drew in a deep breath, hoping that when she closed her eyes she wouldn't be held captive to her wicked subconscious again.

* * *

Sunlight poured in from the windows and the shadows began to melt into the walls, peacefully awaiting nightfall when they could return. Ariel rolled over and stretched out her slender arms, patting the vacant space beside her. She moved her hand around in the lonely air, a solemn mar creasing her brows. She dragged her body up to a sitting position before threading her fingers through long strands of red hair, smoothing out the messy bits and pulling it over her bare shoulder. As she sampled the tips of her locks between her fingers, she recalled upon the terrifying dream the night before. It was jumbled and broken, but she could pick out specific things—the hands, the static, the laughter, and what seemed to be the voice of someone. However, she couldn't call to mind what she was warning her about. To remember?

As the girl mulled over the symbolic possibilities and meaning behind what she endured during her slumber, something caused a small picture frame upon the dressing unit across the room to fall forward and smack up against the surface. The startling noise caused Ariel to jump slightly, and scramble to keep the sheet placed over her exposed bosom. She looked around the room curiously as the silence began to sink in again. Another sound came from her left, and just as her head snapped toward the direction, all she caught was the curtain gently swaying. Then another beneath her. There were short releases of tiny mumbles. Ariel crawled across the sea of sheets and slowly began to dip her head over the edge of the bed. Her hair fell forward as she peeked over the foot board, searching the dark area before her. Suddenly a pair of large eyes popped up, sending her flying upward with a yelp.

A pocket-sized pink blob wiggled itself from under the bedding and giggled in delight at her reaction. The girl's face dropped to a cement slate. She snatched the plasmic creature, gently toyed it with her finger.

"What in the world do you think you're doing? Scaring me like that." Ariel tickled, cupping the small animal in her hands. "Now Morhpie, can you tell me where Jim went?" She asked playfully and lifted her hand away.

The eccentric blob answered in arrows and neon signs, pointing to the loading dock far off to the backside of the Inn. Ariel's expression ceased as slight agitation swelled in her blue pools. His absence was accustomed. Jim Hawkins compelled his days with work, infatuated on the repair of an old, rickety boat his father left behind in departure. The boat, however, was far from completion (in mild terms). There was a great deal of small and spacious parts that were missing, in need for triggering the operating systems. All the molded and withering woodwork had to be replaced and sculpted. The engine was unaccounted for. Through all the exertion and (almost) meaningless time spent on the obsolete vessel, Jim saw it as a way to revive his lack of relation with his father. Although he loathed the man, he couldn't shake the excruciating addiction to finish what was abandoned. It licked at his conscious and churned in the pit of his stomach, driving him mad with absurd devotion. Ariel peered out the window and noted the substantial amount of snow build-up from the previous night. A clean sheet was applied with traces of various foot and paw prints scattered throughout. She dressed accordingly; lacing up aged, camel colored boots and fastening a beautiful emerald cape, with stark white fur trimming on the hood about her shoulders.

"Oh, uh, good morning Ariel." Delbert Doppler greeted swiftly when the girl opened the front door. The dog-like man was bundled in a dark, over sized puffy coat with an assortment of chest pockets. His mouth and snout were wrapped in a bulky olive-toned scarf while a matching hat stretched down to the rim of his bushy eyebrows. Large maroon mittens were holding a few books and a leather tote. Ariel pulled the hood up over head, and stood back from the doorway.

"Good morning Delbert," she replied, allowing him to step through the threshold.

"Is Sarah around? I needed to go over some of the information regarding the current currency—ha, current currency..." Doppler mused over the phrase, losing the end of his thought. "…Yes, um, where was I?"

"She's back in the kitchen I believe." Ariel answered with a hint of a giggle.

"Ah, thank you. Where's Jim?" Delbert began to remove his outer attire, hanging it neatly upon a couple of hooks on the wall from behind the door.

"I was just on my way to find him. He's still working on that boat," she responded with vexation.

"In this frigid weather? The boy sure is-"

"Stupid." Ariel cut off, crossing her arms.

"I was going to say persistent, but I suppose that serves just as well." The canine's face softened to a small smile as he rested a cold paw on her shoulder, "I'll tell Sarah to arrange some tea."

Ariel gave him a faint smile in return, nodding her head gently. She trudged through the snow, holding her dress skirt up a little as she did so. It wasn't the fact that he consumed his time with work that bothered her, it was the _persistence_. The overwhelming obsession that ate at him from the inside out. Beyond everything else, it worried her. She understood the sentimental value of it all, however, she couldn't grasp the motives behind the fixation. Why did he care so much if he hated his father? Wouldn't that of pushed him away from the tedious project?

Noise fluttered throughout the boat's housing as metal tools slapped the pavement. Ariel peeked into the large open space, finding a pair of black boots poking out from beneath the wooden structure. The sound of light footsteps prompted the boy to pause from his work and slide out from the dark crevasse. His eyes met the view of a perplexed face staring down on him. She placed her hands on her hips and spat out an irritated sigh.

"What are you doing? It's below freezing." The redhead spoke with little jabs of aggravation.

"It's not that bad." Jim replied, pulling himself to his feet.

He breathed in the crisp air, feeling the chilling sensation roll around in his chest. After removing a rag from his coat pocket he began to wipe a dark liquid smeared across his hands. His eyes focused on the girl's expression, her body language, the way her eyebrows pointed downward in a minor frown. Confusion sprinkled his features and he stopped fiddling with the cloth.

"Something on your mind?" Jim cocked his head with slight arrogance.

"Why yes, yes there is." Ariel paused, drawing in a sharp, cold, breath, "Jim is everything alright? I mean, if something's bothering you or anything, you can tell me. I'm here..." She placed a hand on his arm and concern swelled in her glistening pools.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?" He answered dryly, moving his arm away.

"Well…" Ariel huffed, refusing to beat around the bush, "why are you so attached with this thing? I thought you hated your father." The girl stated, crossing her arms.

"Ariel, now, hate is a strong word. I like to think of it as… strong dislike." Jim rubbed his chin briefly as he searched for the wording.

"Well, then I thought you 'strongly disliked' him. Either way, what is the reason behind all this…nonsense?" Her arms flailed in exclamation.

"Nonsense? That's what you think this is?" He stepped toward her, warmth rising in his cheeks, "Listen, there are reasons for why I spend _my_ time on things," he paused. "Besides, it's just a little project, you know, something to keep me busy," he lied. "Furthermore, what I do or don't do isn't really _all_ of your business, sweetheart. Maybe you should keep that in mind the next time you feel the need to interrogate me on 'nonsense'."

Jim's tone compelled a sharp sting that nearly pierced Ariel. She immediately felt the smack of guilt backhand her across the face.

"I-I'm sorry Jim. I'm just worried about you. I've never seen you so…driven," she spoke carefully, "before. I shouldn't have questioned you, I-I understand the value of this, ah, piece and I apologize." She spoke into the rough material of his woolen coat, and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Jim's features lightened while a little smile spread upon his lips. He encircled the girl's shoulders, pulling her in close, and relaxed his chin upon her head.  
"Don't worry Ariel, I'm alright. Really."

The girl peered up at him, gently cupping the side of his face. The situation still nagged at her, but she decided to forget about it and trust that everything really was alright, for now anyway.

"Well come on, there's tea, and your mother is probably elbows deep in orders by now." Ariel took his gloved hand in hers, and began to tug him away from the repair sight. Jim halted, however, and allowed himself to slip out her hold.

"I'll be there a minute."

Ariel turned, watching him descend back into the large work area. Her expression flattened and she began to make her way back to the Inn.

* * *

**Alrighty, first chapter! Sorry if it's a bit lengthy, I didn't really know where to make the cut off haa. **

**So what's the deal with this boat stuff, man? Ariel's getting a bit pissy. **

**The next chapter has got some guest characters and little jabs of madness. It's all very exciting. Let me know what you think so far!**

**Lee**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello everybody! Sorry this chapter took me so long to get on here. I was caught up in the real life. But I'm back with the second chapter and I really like where things are going. Definitely going to dig into the underbelly of this fic within the next couple chapters so get ready.  
**  
**Enjoy, friends!  
:D**

_::Chapter 2::  
_

Hover cars and carriages whizzed and chirped past the busy and newly restored Inn. Ariel entered the noisy area, fastening a cream colored apron about her slender waist. She scanned the tables for piles of stained dishes or leftover food. Since Ariel was now living with Jim and his mother, she took up responsibilities around the Inn and house, willingly of course. She usually helped Sarah with any cleaning, or took small orders like drinks or beginners for any incoming customers. Suddenly the door chimed and in walked a young woman dressed in golden yellow. She withdrew her frilly sun umbrella and removed her hat, hanging both on empty hooks near the door. Ariel felt a small smile perk up her mouth as she greeted her old time friend.

"Jane! My gosh, I haven't seen you in so long! How's the trip going for your father?" The red head released her from a tight hug.

"I've heard it's going marvelous. Daddy's ship docked a few days ago and they've already set up camp. It's been hard not having him around though, and I'm worried about him a lot of the time. He's not as young as he likes to think he is," she huffed.

Jane Porter was a pretty girl, with golden brown hair that fell down her back. She had brilliant blue eyes and such lovely bone structure. High cheekbones, a small button nose and soft arched brows. Jane lived in the outskirts of the Old English Union Circlet in Brithedge Stone, a division on the far side of Montressor, with her father Professor Heubert Porter. He was a small framed man with a bit of a potbelly and considered himself to be 73 years young. His grey mustache would hang limply at the sides of his mouth and on clear days the sun would beam brightly off the top of his balding head.

The OEUC was a rather large society of Brits that accumulated from all around the galaxy over time. Heubert had a long history of exploring, as well as his forefathers. Adventures were a frequent pastime for the Porter's. Jane had been traveling herself since she was 14. The girls sat and chatted a bit before Ariel returned to her duties. The entrance bell chimed again as another visitor stepped into the warm, welcoming space. Polity tapping the toe of his brown boots a bit to shake some snow off.

"Well Thomas, what a pleasant surprise." Sarah greeted the sailor, holding an empty tray to her hip.

"Good day Ms. Hawkins, did Jane happen to stop by?" The young man removed his cap as his eyes searched for the brown headed beaut.

"You know, I saw her somewhere around here. How's 'bout you sit yourself down and I'll go fetch her for ya," she said with a smile.

"Thank you Ms. Hawkins," he nodded

"Tom, you've known me for way too long. Call me Sarah," she answered flatly.

"Oh, right, my apologies Ms.—er, Sarah," he laughed nervously, clearing his throat a bit.

"I'll warm you up some tea." The middle aged woman turned, grazing the heads in the newly renovated large room. Once she spotted her target she swiftly moved her way to the other side of the dining hall.

"What's with the sad eyes? You're scaring away customers," the owner joked.

"Oh, just thinking about daddy. I feel awful leaving him on his own. He's going to be gone for three months." Jane began twiddling her gloved fingers.

"Jane, honey, he's a grown man and then some. I'm sure he can take care of himself. Besides he's with a trustworthy team of scientists," she paused, cocking an eyebrow, "or whatever. They'll, ah, look out for him." Sarah patted the girl's shoulder with comfort. "By the way, Thomas is looking for you," she stated with hint of girlish glee.

"Thomas?" Jane squeaked, and began eyeballing the room, and fell lightly upon the man sitting across the way.

Thomas was a handsome young man. Strapping, and had a certain quiet charm to him that was almost irresistible. He tended to his grandmother when he wasn't off in the outer edges of space on routine expeditions. Hawkins had met him during his (short) time at the space academy and they had become friends quite quickly. They shared a few deathly battles with aliens and galactic armies together. Jane and Thomas had gone back a long time. Their fathers were close friends in college and spent several years together at sea during their early explorations. After Jane's mother had passed, she became very close with Thomas's mother Elizabeth. For a 9 year old she seemed to have a heavy plate of childish problems that Elizabeth was more than happy to help out with, seeing as her only child was a male. Most of them were of school, and stupid boys and how much she wanted to join her dad at sea.

"Ahem." Thomas's view snapped up from his army green cap and met the girl's large blue eyes.

"You wanted to see me?" she inquired, removing her white gloves.

"Jane, please take a seat." Thomas exclaimed, trying to tame his nerves. He extended his hand to the adjacent chair.

Jane neatly set herself across from him, her mind buzzing with anticipation. She always had a bit of thing for Thomas, but it was something she would never admit aloud or even to herself sometimes.

"I've heard word from your father's ship," he started grimly. "It seems as though they've hit a rough patch on their journey and have to move to another location on the island, which means it's going to take them even longer to conduct their research and get the information they need. He might not be back for another eight to ten months."

Jane looked solemnly down at her cotton gloves, twisting the soft material in between her fingers.

"Oh...Well, daddy's a grown man. He can take care of it, I suppose," she spoke delicately. The corners of her mouth fell slowly. "How did you get this information?" she asked, suddenly curious about how he would know her father's whereabouts.

"I received word from the captain coordinating the trip. I worked with him when I was at the academy," he stated dryly.

Thomas registered her despondent expression. He took her hand in his, staring into her deep blue pools, "I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright," she said momentarily, slipping her hand out of his to brush her bangs back. "Thank you for telling me."

She smiled faintly. Thomas felt a string of embarrassment pluck within him when she retrieved her hand. He didn't really know how to approach his feelings for her, and from the looks of it she didn't either. Refusing to let the awkward static between them progress he began to speak slow and carefully, "Jane-"

"Tom?" A strong hand grabbed the solider's shoulder and spun him around in his chair.

"Jim!" The two sailors reunited, giving each other a friendly hug and a pat on the back.

As the boys relished in mindless chit-chat, Jane quietly took from her seat. Without as much as a peep she sluggishly maneuvered to the door, grabbed her belongings and left. Her stomach swelled into a wild knot on the way home. All she could think about was her elderly father's safety and how badly she wanted to be out there with him.

* * *

Dusk crept along the aging blue skies, triggering a lovely mixture of soft oranges and dusty pinks. Sarah Hawkins flipped the 'open' sign to 'close' and quickly cleaned up the kitchen. Delbert shuffled over to the empty hooks across from the front door. As he zipped and buttoned up, she gave him a quick goodbye peck to the cheek.

"Tell Amelia I said hello." Sarah waved.

"Will do." The astronomer replied, slipping out of the doorway and into the cold evening air.

Ariel loosened the apron from her waist and draped it over a lonely chair in the corner of the room. Her eyes searched around for Jim, but his accustomed absence left her with a slight stale feeling. She drifted out of the dining area and slowly walked up the beautiful new stairway. As her fingertips ran along the dents and grooves in the wooden railing, it reminded her of the RLS Legacy, where she met Jim. She loved the way the thick mahogany walls and floors of the ship felt under her touch. And in the silent mornings of deep space travel, she would lay under the soft beams of starlight that dripped through the crate-hatch door on the ceiling of her cabin and relish in the wonderful smell of the wood.

The vibrant redhead opened the door to their bedroom and gazed upon the welcoming beige sheets and pillows. She then began to undress, pulling at the laces of her dark brown corset. Just as Ariel tossed the article of clothing onto the bed, the door gently creaked to an open. Large black boots stumbled in, dragging in chunks of snow and dirt along with them. A low voice muttered something to her, and suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her small frame. Hot breath covered the nape of her neck. She turned around in his embrace, looking up into a pair of grey blue eyes. Her expression softened from the hard slate it was previously. Something about Jim turned her into melted wax, no matter how angry or confused she seemed to feel before.

His eyes focused upon hers and though she appeared to be blissful and love fooled, he could sense her slight agitation with him. This made him retract, and stare deeper into her eyes. Ariel pulled back a bit, noticing how his delicate hold on her had turned into a firm grip. She felt his hard eyes, making her blush a little.

"What?" she asked, finally.

"What's the matter?" he questioned immediately.

Ariel took a moment to answer, she didn't entirely know what the problem was. All she could muster was a cocked brow. But she knew what he was pondering. Why he was suddenly so concerned about her emotions. She could try to play dumb all she wanted, but there was no use; the dreaded conversation was inevitable. Ariel took a deep breath, mulling over what to say.

"Jimmy.." the girl had referred to his nickname only when she really wanted something, whether it be sexual or not. Ariel peered into his somewhat frightened pupils. She stiffened, she hadn't known he was so distraught over what she had been thinking.

"It's just that I wish you weren't so far away from me. Mentally I mean," she corrected.

"Huh?"

"I _mean_, I just want you," she paused, trying to figure out what to say next, "I want you to talk to me."

"Talk to you? About what?" Jim's hands fell to his sides.

"About what's been going on with you and that boat. I just don't get-"

"Ah Jesus, this again?" Jim rolled his eyes, taking a step backward and plopping his butt on the bed behind him. "What is it with you and this boat thing? It's just something I like to do, to keep my mind busy. Since I came back from the academy I haven't really had much to do around the Inn, and your here helping out my mom with things, so I don't know. I get bored."

Jim wasn't sure why he resisted talking about it truthfully, especially to Ariel, but a small voice in the farthest end of his mind told him not to. To keep it a secret. He didn't know what for, however he _did_ get the feeling that it was good idea. Jim practically hated his father and the thought of him made his skin crawl. But that boat, the last shred of his known existence and memory had some strange value to Jim. One he couldn't explain, much less talk about. The want to put it back together and make it like new really pressured him. It wasn't that he was bored, he was obsessed. Determined to finish something that his father couldn't. And his father was known for finishing things, considering how he finished Jim and his mother.

Something about it all seemed off to her. She knew there was more. That he wasn't telling her the complete story. But Ariel couldn't press him on about it anymore. If he didn't want to talk, so be it. It was upsetting that he wouldn't open up to her though, and it hurt like hell.

* * *

**And that concludes chapter 2!**

**I know, more Ariel and Jim "boat bicker". I think that's what I'll start calling it. I'll try to keep it a minimum. There's gotta be some love in there too, right? ;)**  
**We'll start to get into more of the main plot in the next upcoming chapters so stay tuned! Ooh it's gonna be good! Super excited!**

**I'll get the next one out in a couple days, guys. Please review and thank you! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everybody! Got the next chapter up and I must say, things are gonna be taking a turn for the worst and it's a sharp turn. There's a lot of explaining in this chapter, so I apologize for the potential bore this could turn out to be. But, there's some very very light slash towards the end so-WARNING! Hope you guys like it :D **

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 3_

Nightfall soaked up the town within a few hours and the once wild and noisy streets fell mute. The freezing cold air had picked up that night, as temperatures sunk lower into the single digits. There was no movement or activity of any kind. Animals and small creatures tucked themselves away in holes and deep, somber caves. Any possible shelter they could find. It was much too cold to hunt. The thick forest woods grew dreadfully dark and almost unbearably still. Not even the crickets sang their operas that night.

A presence lingered. Something vile. Dead leaves crunched under heavy feet. Twigs snapped and went echoing throughout the dead space. Very slowly, a ghouly figure slithered out of the blinding darkness. Drenched in a tattered hooded cloak as black as the raven, it crept through the dreary bitter evening on horseback. The "horse", much like it's rider, was not of the breathing world. A large black beast with sharp bladed claws of an eagle, and ghost-like wings pierced with massive, gaping holes. It's feathers were withered, and it's tail dragged behind it. And as the creature looked up from the snowy path, four narrow crimson slits split open. It screamed a godawful sound, ripping the black birds from the trees into the night sky.

There were plenty of frightening things roaming around all the time. So, naturally, people didn't seem to get as hysterical when encountered with something like this. However, this being was not from Montressor, nor was it an alien of a distant planet. Deep within the farthest reaches of space there grew a powerful fist of light. Some unknown, phenomenal force of burning energy thrown far out into infinity. At least that's what it seemed.

"Yes, my dear. Keep searching..." a soft whisper called. "Do not rest until you find what Mother is looking for..."

And with that, the demonic hunter shrieked a bloodcurdling cry and rode off into the heavy woods.

* * *

Before she knew it it was dawn. The sun didn't shine that morning. A hazy mess of white grey clouds stretched across the sky, and the wind hollered occasionally. Ariel creaked her eyes open for a brief moment, looking up at the clouds through the window. She rolled onto her side and slowly reached her arm back behind her, searching for the sheets. She remembered she hadn't put a nightgown on before she fell asleep, which seemed to be an annoying habit she'd taken up after Jim and her had sex. Because the house was normally chilly in the mornings, it would constantly wake her up. Her hand tapped the hard muscle of Jim's shoulder and her brilliant eyes sprang open. Since he recently began sneaking out of bed early she had simply assumed he would be gone when she awoke. His presence next to her gave her little pinches of excitement.

She would get to spend the morning laying next to him for the first time in weeks.

A swarm of butterflies fluttered around in her stomach when she turned to look at him. He was as sweet as can be, sleeping so soundly, and so beautiful. Almost immediately Ariel nuzzled in closer to him and pushed back a stray bang hanging across his eyelids. She cupped his cheek and kissed the tip of his sharp nose. His grey eyes peeked at the girl lying in front of him. Her red hair was a wild, fiery halo around her head and her eyes were glistening. A small smile curved his lips as he pulled the girl into his hard chest. They stayed like that for awhile.

Reluctantly, Ariel lifted herself from the warmth of his embrace and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She took a deep stretch, feeling the muscles in her back tighten. She hadn't felt this good for quite some time. Snatching her pink nightgown from the floor she tugged it on and swiftly made her way to the dresser on the other side of the room. Quietly, she rummaged through the unit grabbing a white bra and matching panties along with an olive green dress skirt and a creamy blouse with long sleeves.

With shaky hands she slapped some makeup on her face. Nothing too involved, just a little mascara and some lipstick-that was enough of a challenge for her. Most of the women she'd seen dining at the Inn always had a full face of makeup and it was (almost) always applied with expertise. She brushed her long hair and it rolled all down her back. The contrasting colors of her dress and hair kindly complimented each other. Her complexion was dewy and her ivory skin was nearly glowing. It was a bit puzzling when she gathered herself in the mirror, and her reflection left her slightly stunned.

Not that she didn't think she was pretty. She did. But when she usually looked in the mirror she hadn't thought her looks were this notable. They'd seemed to be...heightened.

She quickly disregarded it and left the room, sticking her feet in black pointed toe flats down by the foot of the steps. The kitchen and dining area was already up and running, buzzing with robotic servers and alien cooks. Rather than waiting for customers to start pouring in for the breakfast hour, she got to work. She mopped up the floors and wiped down all the tables. Restocked all the spice shakers and did up some of the dishes left over from the previous night. Since people would be showing up soon to have their morning coffee she threw the machine on, along with the swollen tea kettle. Usually, hired staff took care of these minor chores before opening, but Ariel always felt the need to help. It was nice to have a home and she wanted to take care of it the best she could.

By 9:30 the place was swinging in full motion. Sarah was walking around, taking orders and serving them up. There were a few other humans enjoying their breakfast at the Inn that morning. They were spread out across the rather large dining space. A group of old men dressed in suits and top hats sat together at a formal circle table in the corner of the dining room. Another group sat at another table towards the bar, and were quite noisy. They were men from town, and lived on pipe tobacco and hard drink. One of them was a very pretty brown headed girl. It looked like she was waiting for someone. She perched herself at the edge of the seat, her legs crossed at the ankles. She was wearing a soft green dress with lovely lace detailing in the bodice, skirt and sleeves that had stopped just above her elbows. There was beautiful pink silk cloak with white fur trimming on the hood draped about her shoulders. She had a book open in front of her while and absent mindedly began spinning a spoon around in her tea.

"There you are," Jim's arm slithered around Ariel and his hand crept up along her hip, startling her a bit. "Why'd you sneak away from me earlier?" his voice low and cool.

"I didn't sneak, I walked," she answered pushing back into him. "And I had to get down here and start working before things got crazy." Ariel stated.

"Well, I think you owe me one. I was looking forward to you know what..." his lips nipped at her neck, and his hand found her bottom and squeezed.

"Jim, stop it!" Ariel giggled, turning her head away from him. "What if someone sees?"

"Screw 'em," his hands going to town.

The red head relished in his sort of rough touches for a few anxious minutes before shaking him off of her.

"Alright, hands off," she said playfully but firm.

Ariel took a loaded tray from the serving hatch and stalked away from Jim's "feel good" weaponry. Though, she managed to pump a slight sway to her hips as she walked, silently promising him there would be more for later.

The morning flew by fairly quickly, and soon the lunch rush was marching in. Since the renovation, the Benbow Inn had been booming with business. Word of it's grand re-opening got out and spread like wildfire throughout town. Sarah's picture, along with the massive building of course, was featured in the paper 5 or 6 months back when the Hawkins' announced the Inn's marvelous return. At the time, Sarah found herself in puddles of stress with all the hectic activity surrounding the Inn during it's re-open. It was a lot of work, more work that one woman and her grown son could accomplish on their own, and the price would throw a wealthy investment banker's eyebrows into space. However, it was doable. Since Jim had withdrawn a tasty sum of precious gold and gems from the infamous hills of treasure in Flint's Trove, there was enough to indeed re-build Benbow "a hundred times over".

After hours of non-stop movement, the place seemed to die down again after the mid-afternoon craze. Tired and weary, Ariel plopped down at an empty table. A robotic waiter came over to her and offered to fetch something for her from the kitchen. With great hesitation, she ordered a bowl of Silver's Bonzabeast stew and some crackers. When she had time to look around the room she noticed the brown haired girl was still sitting there. Her eyes were glued to the book and her hair was taken out of it's pretty blue bow and hugged her slim shoulder blades. The female rested her chin in her hand and she her rosy cheeks were boiling. She looked pissed. Ariel couldn't blame her though. It appeared the mystery person was a no show. Why had she sat there all this time if (presumably) the guy hadn't shown up? Deciding it was none of her business, Ariel tore her eyes away from the bitter bookworm and waited patiently for her steaming bowl of nostalgia. And that it was. The smell and look of it made images and memories of Silver come flooding back to her brain, and she sat staring at it briefly, biting her lip hard to prevent tears from swelling. She missed him, a lot.

Ariel spent a handful of her life with Silver. Her parents had passed when she was younger and she was turned to an orphanage, which were not the highlighted years of her life at all. She was trapped in that godawful place for two years after her father, Triton had died from old age. She had a few sisters, but none were interested in taking on a eight year old at the time, since they were much older than her and had lives of their own. Husbands, houses, bills, pets. They were _much_ too busy to take care of a lonely, poor as dirt child. As she reminisced on her past she became more and more irate. Since then Ariel never talked to her siblings, and had no desire of any kind to. Those two years were brutal. Very little patience was bestowed upon the children and _**all **_of the staff were ancient if not older. The orphanage was terribly underpaid, and in result, children usually slept on floors and used buckets as toilets. Ariel was lucky enough to escape the hell hole and run into the surprising secure wings of the "soft" pirate. She had been with him up until the day he made his departure/getaway after their return from Treasure Planet. Since then, Ariel's been living peacefully with Jim. The man who could very well be her one and only.

Somehow, in the midst of her sentimental recollection, everything went quiet. The brown headed girl was gone. The robots and aliens seemed to be too. It seemed as though she was completely alone. She called for Jim, but he didn't come. No one came. A bit spooked, Ariel took to her feet to investigate. She trudged up the long staircase and slowly emerged into the deep hallway off to the side of the house.

"Hello?" she called with prickles of worry.

No answer.

Where was everybody? Wasn't there a room full of people downstairs just a minute ago? Where was Sarah, and Delbert, and B.E.N? More importantly, where was Jim?

Ariel pushed onward, uneasiness rising and bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Just as she turned the corner there was a slender, darker woman standing with her back to her in the shadowed hallway. Ariel came to a halt and had to stop herself from gaping at the eerily striking female before her.

"Wh-Who are you?" she inquired, hoping fear hadn't registered in her voice.

Again, no answer.

"Uhm, Miss?"

Finally, the woman turned around. Her obscure eyes glowed a foggy sea color and her lips were drenched in deep green. Hair brushed her shoulders in thick black chunks. There were big gold bangles hanging off her wrists and ankle. As she moved, they clicked and rang. Her skin was an odd dark color. She was wearing a green and gold striped corset and a white top that drooped around her tiny shoulders. A deep plum colored skirt stopped just above her ankles while a thick lighter purple wrap with big golden disks hung about her waist. She was quite a sight.

There was something shinning in her creepy, extraordinary eyes that read danger. She must have been supernatural because in a blink she was five inches away from Ariel's face. Ariel stumbled back in surprise, but caught herself the last second. Without a hint of warning the female threw her fist into Ariel's stomach. The girl doubled over in pain and slumped to her knees. Suddenly Ariel felt the attacker's presence above her and, as fast as possible, rolled across the floor, missing the sharp elbow that came crashing down. Something switched over in Ariel's mind and the confusion began to cease as sheer fear seeped in. The red head scrambled to her feet and booked it towards the bedroom but the woman poof'd in front of her again. With a cry of terror she spun on her heel and bolted in the other direction. A hard yank of her hair pulled Ariel into the trapper's impressive vice-like grip from behind.

"Where do you think you're going, precious?" her raspy voice hissed into Ariel's ear.

Immediately Ariel started squirming and twisting away from the being's arms, but with a fast replacement of surprisingly strong hands she stopped cold. One latched itself to her right breast while the other made its way down, pass her abdomen.

The red head began calling out, loud and agonizing. "Now, now." The female soothed, smacking a hand over Ariel's mouth. Where in the _hell_ was Jim? Couldn't he hear her fierce cries for help? Just then a dreadful thought crept it's way into the front of the girl's mind and her heart sank straight down into her toes. She choked on a hoarse sob and needed to break free. But how? This...thing...was strong. Stronger than Ariel was. She had to think fast.

"My, my, aren't you the sweetest thing? Mm, I could just eat you up, sugar." It whispered to her, caressing her privates. "Too bad Mama gets you. I wish I could have you all to myself..."

..._Mama_? Ariel panicked, kicking and flailing. But with another acute blow to the back her struggling proved to be futile. Tears streamed down her soft cheeks and her vision blurred. She hated that she couldn't do anything; she hated being helpless.

"P-Please...please..." came her little voice in between heavy sobs.

"I like the sound of your begging." it laughed, rubbing harder. Disgusted, Ariel sobbed louder. "Yes...cry for me, sugar."

Determined to find something handy, Ariel scanned the room through wet, blurry eyes. She happened to peer out the window and noticed a bird paused in mid flight. Everything was still. Time had _**stopped**._ That must have been the reason why Jim hadn't "come to the rescue". Great, so she was stuck. Suspended in time with this atrocious creature and no one to help. She had to do something. Something that would prevent her from being raped by this succubus. She had a no-nonsense, gut feeling that's where she was headed. With little to no options, Ariel decided the best thing to do was fight. Fight for her life. In an agile fit of motion, Ariel lunged forward with all her might and tore at the hands holding her captive. It was definitely challenging, no doubt about that, but she broke free. In a rapid haste, the red head turned and kicked the woman wherever she could. Hard. The female shrieked and poof'd herself out of sight. _  
_

Ariel hightailed out of the hallway and down the marble staircase. She had no idea how to bring herself up to speed. How to kick start time. Propelling through the back door near the kitchen, she ran out into the frigid hills of snow. Her bare feet protested, but she kept moving. Through fiery locks of red hair, Ariel looked back over her shoulder to make sure the awful thing wasn't charging after her. There was nothing. All of a sudden her knees gave out, and she went tumbling down face first in the powdered snow. Her body skidded a tad atop the ice and her feet were blistering red. Ariel heard the raw air break and barely opened her eyes. The deadly, beautiful female appeared, hovering high above a few feet away from her. In pure defeat, the girl gave herself a mental pat on the back for putting up a good fight. She somehow managed to out run the thing long enough, to get away before she was _consciously_ mutilated and that seemed to be something worth praise. Ariel then closed her pretty eyes, awaiting death.

"Finally, you've stopped running from me kitten...now I can do with you what I want..."

"No Esmeralda..." a seductive voice chimed, "not yet. You must be patient."

"But she's right here Mama, we can take her now!" Esmeralda shouted, spitting anger.

"Not until **_I_** want to!" the thunderous tone came. "You will do what I say! Now leave there and come to me at once!" it hissed.

With a disgruntled sigh, the jockey disappeared in the sky, and time clicked back on.

* * *

**Ruh-roh, shits gettin' a little real, no? Introduced a couple other Disney characters, and I know I know, I made Esmeralda evil. She seemed like she'd be the best for the part, and she kinda is. At least in my twisted mind. Also sorry, for the slight slash in this chapter, I wanted to give it that urgency. Stayed tuned for the next chapter! More to come with the weird ghoul man and his, ah, horse. It was definitely Dementor inspired lol**

**Thanks a bunch guys! Please review :D**


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